


Deck the Antlers

by octopus_fool



Series: Yuletide Cheer [24]
Category: The Hobbit (Jackson Movies)
Genre: Adopted Sibling Relationship, Christmas Decorations, Gen, Humor, Kid Fic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-18
Updated: 2018-12-18
Packaged: 2019-09-21 07:14:49
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 947
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17039198
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/octopus_fool/pseuds/octopus_fool
Summary: The one in which kiddie Tauriel decides that Thrandy's swag stag needs some decorating and ropes Legolas into her plans.





	Deck the Antlers

**Author's Note:**

> Written for day 18 of [Arda Advent](http://ardaprompts.tumblr.com/post/180626386876/join-me-in-creating-wintery-fanworks-about), the prompt was "wreaths and garlands".

“I’m not sure Adad will like this,” Legolas pointed out. 

“Of course he will! He loves Daeraras and he loves pretty things. Why wouldn’t he like it if we combine those things?” Tauriel asked.

“I don’t know, I just don’t have a good feeling about this. And he doesn’t like when I go to Daeraras without someone to watch me.”

“Don’t be such a craven,” Tauriel said. “And besides, I’m here to watch you.”

Legolas huffed. “You’re even smaller than I am. What good will you be if something goes wrong?”

“Well, I’m obviously a lot braver than you are. And Daeraras is much too friendly to hurt us. I’ll do it without you if you don’t want to join me, but it will be more fun if you do help me.”

Legolas sighed. “Alright. But it’s not my fault if something goes wrong.”

Tauriel hugged him. “Thank you!” She grabbed his hand and pulled him towards the stable, her bag swinging from her other hand. 

“Slow down!” Legolas said. “We’ll startle Daeraras if we run.”

“Oh, right. Of course.” Tauriel stopped running but her impatience was still visible in her step. 

When they reached the stall, Daeraras slowly came over and looked at them.

“He’s so huge,” Tauriel breathed, even though she had already been close to the elk quite a few times before. 

“So what do you want to do now?” Legolas asked.

“Decorate him, of course. I’ve already told you that.”

“And how exactly do you want to do that when he’s so large and you’re so small?”

“Don’t be silly, I’ll stand on this wall of course. Help me up.”

Reluctantly, Legolas held his hands together so that she could use them as a ladder. Tauriel scrabbled up and began stroking Daeraras’s soft nose. 

“Hand me my bag,” she demanded. 

Legolas did as he was told and she pulled some garlands from it. 

“Are those the ones Adad wants the servants to decorate the Throne Hall with?” Legolas asked.

Tauriel shrugged. “Just a few of them.”

“Won’t they miss these garlands?”

Tauriel rolled her eyes. “They have so many of them, they won’t miss these. Stop spoiling all the fun!”

“I’m not! I’m just pointing out all the weak points of your plans!”

“Which is spoiling the fun!”

“Is not!”

Tauriel said nothing more and put a wreath around Daeraras’s neck and began wrapping fir garlands around one of his antlers. 

Legolas crossed his arms and watched her. 

“This is boring,” he said eventually.

“Of course it is, if you’re not going to help me. Come on, get onto the wall and help me decorate. You can do the other antler.”

Legolas looked around. He spotted a stool which he carried over to the wall so that he could climb up too. His face still doubtful, he took another garland from the bag and started wrapping it around the other antler.

Tauriel beamed at him. “This is fun, isn’t it?”

Legolas nodded and grinned back at her. “Yes.”

Tauriel had finished wrapping the garlands around the antler and began pulling little decorations made of wood and straw from the bag and hanging them on the garlands.

“Hey, you’re not supposed to eat that!” She scolded when Daeraras got hold of a star made from straw. Daeraras just looked at her with his big eyes and continued chewing.

“He’s an elk, what did you think he’d do if you dangle some straw in front of his mouth?” Legolas asked.

Tauriel stuck out her tongue at him. “You should hurry up or I’ll be done decorating my side much sooner than you.”

“Well, you did get a head start.”

“I’m still faster than you are!”

“If we make a race out of this, it will just look ugly,” Legolas pointed out.

Tauriel chewed on her bottom lip. “Alright, let’s not make it a race. But if I finish sooner than you and I will, I will help you on your side. Just watching is boring.”

“Fair enough,” Legolas agreed and went back to decorating. 

They added straw stars, little wooden animals and straw elves to the garlands. At the bottom of the bag, Tauriel had some red berries.

“Where do you have those from?” Legolas asked.

“Just from somewhere.”

“You didn’t take them from where Adad keeps the supply for decorating his crown, did you?”

“No?”

Legolas scrutinised her. Tauriel stared back, shuffling her feet.

“That’s not very convincing,” Legolas said. 

“I might have? I only took a few and he has so many of them. He’s not going to miss them.”

“I’m not so sure about that.”

“Besides, they’ll look pretty on Daeraras. The decorations need some colour.”

Legolas looked at their work so far. A little red probably would improve it. “Alright, since we already have the berries here.”

Tauriel grinned at him. “Good, then let’s get started.”

Together, they tied the red berries into the wreath and garlands while Daeraras patiently stood still.

“What’s going on here?!”

The king’s voice startled both of them and Legolas nearly lost his balance. The king did not look nearly as happy as Tauriel had imagined. 

“Are you decorating my _elk_?! Are those the garlands for the Throne Hall? And the berries for my crown?”

“She started it!” Legolas said quickly.

Tauriel burst into tears. “I did not! He did!”

“No! She made me come here and help her!”

“How would I do that? You always like to point out how tiny I am. You started it!”

Thranduil sighed. Why had he ever thought that it would be a good idea for Legolas to have an adopted little sister? But at least Daeraras looked rather festive.


End file.
